The 170-pound contest joins a card already flush with welterweight
talent. The March 16 bill is topped by a welterweight title
confrontation between longtime UFC king Georges St. Pierre and former Strikeforce ruler Nick
Diaz. Additionally, the co-main event will see former interim
titlist Carlos Condit rematch surging Canadian prospect
Rory MacDonald, while Johny Hendricks meets Jake Ellenberger in another pivotal showdown at the Bell
Centre in Montreal.

After posting a six-fight Octagon winning streak from September
2009 to May 2011, Story has lost three of his last four fights. The
28-year-old suffered back-to-back defeats to close out last year
but managed to right his ship and earn a unanimous decision over
promotional debutant Brock Jardine this past June at UFC on FX 4. Most
recently, however, “The Horror” was dominated by Brazilian
jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia, who finished Story with a first-round
rear-naked choke on Oct. 13 at UFC 153.

Pierson, meanwhile, last competed on Sept. 22, taking a unanimous
verdict from Lance Benoist at UFC 152. The victory marked the
second-straight triumph for “The Punisher,” who kicked off 2012 by
outpointing Jake Hecht this summer at UFC on FX 3. The victories
followed a winless 2011 for the 36-year-old, as the Canadian was
knocked cold by Ellenberger before being dealt a unanimous decision
defeat to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 141.